What Patience Teaches

July 30th, 2014

While most people don’t start espousing knowledge and wisdom to the world at the age of 23, a free pass and a chance to share some reflections seem to be in order on my birthday.

A lesson I have been learning throughout these past few months has been to truly be patient in the midst of situations both medical and otherwise. If you’ve known me for a while you’ll know that being patient isn’t one my strong suits. When I was still a wee lad this manifested itself most obviously in the classroom. I would return home with report cards that contained mostly decent marks but with a slew of comments like “Paul is very enthusiastic about learning, but needs to raise his hand before speaking.” As I grew older I learned to not always blurt out the first thing that came to mind, but instead found myself internalizing frustration.

When this cancer journey began, one of the greatest struggles was learning to be patient: waiting for the results of tests, waiting for the insurance to figure out what they were going to cover, waiting to begin treatment.

The path forward will continue to require patience, as two months remain in my 6-month chemotherapy regimen. I am thrilled to officially announce that my Hodgkin’s Stage II Lymphoma is officially in remission! Today, as my resident-editor sister pointed out, I am 2/3 the way through my treatment — an amusing coincidence with the day I celebrate 23 years of life.

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(Nina my fantastic nurse at City of Hope! Shout-out to all the excellent nurses and healthcare professionals who dedicate their time and energy to caring for people and make this process a thousand times more bearable.)

This has been an incredible year full of great triumphs (getting to speaking at TEDxHonolulu, finishing my undergraduate honors thesis, graduating) and great struggles (being diagnosed, moving home, etc.) And throughout all of this I’ve been challenged to be patient and rest in Truth and the hope of a greater tomorrow.

And this I wish for all of you as well,
Paul

 
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